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Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have had five Memorial trophy ceremonies as part of their golf relationship over the years. Woods is a big fan of Nicklaus' layouts like Muirfield Village. "He played very disciplined, and at times he was very aggressive, but those were at the right times," Woods said Wednesday. "And he gives you opportunities to do that the way he designs golf courses."
(Tony Dejak, Associated Press)

DUBLIN, Ohio -- They sat in the same chair on the same stage an hour apart Wednesday, separated in age by 36 years and in major titles by four.

Jack Nicklaus wore a gray suit and pink tie when he asked for a moment as he stopped to tie his shoes before his usual pre-Memorial news conference, then interrupted himself to fix his hair when he got a signal from the back of the room passed on by Barbara, his wife of 52 years.

"Is that better?" the 73-year-old Nicklaus asked, running his hands through his still golden, if thinning, hair.

"She's back there doing this," Nicklaus said, pointing to his head. "She used to do this when I lifted my head when I putted. ... All these years I've been doing that."

Tiger Woods wore a blue golf shirt and a white cap bearing his TW logo that curved across his forehead, casting a shadow across his face. He talked about playing Merion Golf Club, the site of the upcoming U.S. Open, on Tuesday, then when asked about the recent run of controversies on the PGA Tour -- from his verbal scuffle with Sergio Garcia to the debate over anchored putters to Vijay Singh's lawsuit against the tour -- said only, "Well, I've won four times this year."

It was hard to envision Woods 35 years from now looking to the back of the room and making a joke about his wife wanting him to him to fix his hair.

View full size"Tiger seems to play very well here," Nicklaus said Wednesday. "I'm delighted that this is one of the golf courses that he likes."Jay LaPrete, Associated Press

They are of a different time and place and attitude, united primarily by accomplishment. But every year, The Memorial Tournament brings Nicklaus and Woods together. It may be the best chance the two best players in golf history have to understand each other.

Woods is back at Muirfield Village for the 14th time this year, teeing off at 1:16 p.m. Thursday as the defending champ and only five-time winner of the event Nicklaus created. It's where they share the course, without both having to tee it up.

That's what they used to do. Thirty-eight times in their careers Woods and Nicklaus played in the same PGA Tour event. The first was the Honda Classic in 1993, when Woods was playing in his third career PGA event as a 17-year-old amateur and missed the cut with a 6 over score that bested the 9 over of the 53-year-old Nicklaus.

The last time was at the 2005 British Open, when Woods won his 10th major by five strokes over Colin Montgomerie and Nicklaus said his farewell to competitive golf with a birdie at the 18th at St. Andrews.

Woods won seven of his major titles among the 21 times he and Nicklaus shared a major field. Nicklaus made his last run at a major with Woods in the field, tying for sixth at the 1998 Masters at 5 under while Woods tied for eighth at 3 under. With Woods on his way up and Nicklaus on his way out, Nicklaus finished with a better score in seven of those 38 common events.

While Nicklaus occupied a greenside seat for Woods' rise, the challenger never experienced the best of the champ. That leaves Muirfield Village to help explain Nicklaus the golfer to Woods the golfer, and for Woods' assault on Nicklaus' records to include a more direct connection. It was at The Memorial last year where Woods tied Nicklaus with 73 career PGA Tour wins. He now has 78.

"I think I've always played Nicklaus courses well," Woods said Wednesday. "For some reason I just feel comfortable on his golf courses, the way he sets it up.

"Jack always was one of the best course managers that's ever lived. And how he managed not just the emotions, but managed the golf course and the strategy behind how he played it."

Woods sees that in the design at Muirfield.

"He gives you options and shots to shape to play his courses," Woods said. "If you don't hit the ball in the right spot, you get penalized. ... He played very disciplined, and at times he was very aggressive, but those were at the right times. And he gives you opportunities to do that the way he designs golf courses."

"Tiger seems to play very well here. He's got several courses he plays well at -- Pebble, St. Andrews, Augusta, Bay Hill. ... I'm delighted that this is one of the golf courses that he likes."

They are not best pals. But they have shared a congratulatory handshake behind the 18th at Muirfield Village five times. Nicklaus took a moment Wednesday to take umbrage with stories from last month that quoted Nicklaus as saying he'd never had a conversation with Woods that lasted more than a minute or two.

Nicklaus said he has "talked to Tiger a lot," but never for long on the topic of Woods' record. And that's what Nicklaus said he was talking about.

And there is always talk about Woods. On the latest flap with Sergio Garcia, who made a comment about serving fried chicken if he had Woods over for dinner, Nicklaus said, "I mean, it's stupid. ... In our days, I suppose there were times when you had an issue with somebody and it came about, but you never read about it."

With Woods, everything is covered and will continue to be. That includes how he plays at Nicklaus' event; and as the No. 1 player in the world, he could certainly add title No. 6 this week.

"It's about playing well, hopefully winning the event and carrying that confidence into the Open," Woods said.

At Merion in two weeks he'll try to win his 15th major, to continue a climb toward Nicklaus' 18 that has stalled since Woods' last major win at the 2008 U.S. Open. Don't expect Nicklaus and Woods to talk about that. But this week, just by Tiger playing Jack's course, they'll understand each other.

Notes: Raymond Floyd, a four-time major champion and the 1982 Memorial winner, spoke at Wednesday's ceremony as the tournament's 2013 honoree. His voice cracked with emotion when speaking about the guidance his late wife, Maria, had given him through his life and career. She died of cancer in September. ...

Davis Love III was named a captain's assistant for the Presidents Cup that will be played at Muirfield Village in October. He joins Jay Haas, who had already been named an assistant by U.S. captain Fred Couples. ...

Robert Garrigus withdrew from the field Tuesday night and was replaced by first alternate Daniel Summerhays. Garrigus had the best reason for his exit. His wife went into labor and he flew home and reported on Twitter that he arrived in time to be there for the birth of his son, Andrew, at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

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